Die REMONDIS-Welt der Nachhaltigkeit
REMONDIS' World of Sustainability
De REMONDIS-wereld van de duurzaamheid
The whole notion of sustainability will be a lost cause unless we take action here and now to conserve our planet's natural resources. Future generations and today's developing countries will only be able to enjoy prosperous lives if steps are taken right now to counteract the growing shortages of raw materials. For us – being one of the world's leading recycling, service and water companies – there can be only one goal: to tackle this problem and lead by example. Why not join us on this path?!
Everyone agrees that global warming must be limited to 2°C – or preferably 1.5°C – if we wish to prevent our ecosystem from being irreparably damaged. Large areas of woodland in Germany are dying as the country suffers ever longer periods of drought. Pussyfooting around is not going to stop climate change. Some major action needs to be taken. And not just switching from fossil fuels to renewables but from virgin to recycled raw materials as well. We are showing how this can be done.
The Lippe Plant in Lünen is not only a high tech site, it is also an important project for combatting global warming. The various activities carried out at the site help to cut carbon emissions by 488,000t every single year. For a forest to have the same effect, it would need to contain 37 million trees. Certainly a lovely place to take a walk in but perhaps not an ideal place for creating 1,400 jobs.
People searching for an argument in favour of plastics recycling need look no further than at our seas and oceans. Vast areas of waste are floating around in them and are so big that they can even be seen from space. This problem, however, can only be solved on Earth – with more responsible consumer behaviour and systematic plastics recycling.
Talking the talk but not walking the walk? Not at REMONDIS. It goes without saying that our all-encompassing view of sustainability also includes us being sustainable ourselves. This covers all aspects of our business – from the energy efficiency levels of our head office buildings, all the way through to ensuring that all our locations adhere to our high social standards, no matter where in the world they may be.
Every company tries to make a profit. And things are no different at REMONDIS either. For us, however, money is always a means to a good end – which is why a large part of the profits we make is invested in developing new and innovative recycling processes and technologies. Helping to preserve our planet’s valuable natural resources.
Sustainability is not a state or a condition but an ongoing process. First and foremost, sustainability is team work. Which is why we cooperate closely with experts and research institutes that also feel strongly about conserving our planet’s natural resources and preventing climate change. Such work always leads to new approaches and innovations.
Wherever we see an opportunity to drive forward the notion of sustainability and to fix it even more firmly in the minds of people, then we are there, full of passion and enthusiasm for the cause. This covers a whole range of activities – from educational projects, to acting as advisers, to supporting universities.
Everyone is talking about the scarcity of raw materials and about sustainability. But what exactly is behind it all? We decided to do some research to find out what it’s all about – so that we could put together some pages with the most important background information for you to read.
Running a sustainable business such as ours also means finding ways to recycle products that would, at first glance, appear impossible to treat. Hazardous substances for example. For over 40 years now, we have been making the most of every opportunity to develop ways of processing hazardous waste and using it to create innovative recycled products so that as many materials as possible can be returned to production cycles. Such actions help conserve our planet's natural resources and protect our environment. Here are just a few examples.
Hazardous waste is, for the most part, generated by industrial businesses. Every private household, however, also has a large number of different objects that cannot be simply thrown away into the residual bin – from old batteries to printer cartridges. We have a solution for these as well: REMONDIS' mobile hazardous waste collection vehicle. Practically all types of hazardous waste found at people's homes can be handed in to these vehicles so that they can be sent on for recycling. Yet another example that clearly shows that sustainability works best when everyone works together hand in hand.
Find out all about REMONDIS' mobile hazardous waste collection vehicle at safety-truck.de
It is perhaps true to say that Bramsche is not one of the world's best known cities. This town in the German state of Lower Saxony is, however, leading the way when it comes to processing hazardous waste. This is where our industrial recycling centre is located that has been specially designed to treat over 600 different types of waste. Innovative processes and state-of-the-art technologies ensure that potentially dangerous substances are recycled in the best possible way – and in huge volumes. Every year, the plant handles over 80,000t of material.
Nowadays, manufacturers avoid using mercury in their products whenever they can. It is, however, an undeniable fact that many industrial processes have no other option but to use this "quicksilver". It goes without saying, therefore, that we – being hazardous waste specialists – are doing everything in our power to ensure waste mercury is recycled in an environmentally friendly way. A prime example of this can be found at our subsidiary REMONDIS QR GmbH which recently opened up a new facility in the German city of Dorsten. Up to 15,000t of waste mercury can be treated here every year using the plant's rotary distillation unit with its afterburner and flue gas cleaning system. Moreover, this facility has its very own global USP as far as protecting the environment is concerned: any mercury, which is unable to be recycled for re-use, is made safe using a patented stabilisation process. The mercury undergoes a number of chemical processes until it is transformed into mercury sulphide. Mercury sulphide is none other than cinnabar, the safe, naturally occurring substance from which the mercury was originally extracted. The ideal way, therefore, to return mercury back to nature.
How dangerous mercury (Hg) is transformed into harmless mercury sulphide (HgS) – also known as cinnabar
No matter how much specialist know-how a company may have, there are still a number of dangerous materials that simply cannot be recycled and returned to production cycles. The no. 1 priority here is to make sure that they are disposed of in the most environmentally friendly way. Our subsidiary REMONDIS SAVA is able to offer such services as it operates a hazardous waste incineration plant in the German city of Brunsbüttel – one of the most modern of its kind in Europe. In this case, 'modern' also means absolutely environmentally sound. On the one hand, because it generates energy worth several million euros without having to use primary raw materials and, on the other, because we strictly observe all aspects of environmental protection, recycling and resource conservation. This is demonstrated, for example, by the following:
Quality that is appreciated by customers from all around the world: REMONDIS SAVA's plant in Brunsbüttel treats hazardous waste from many countries including Romania, Belarus and Nepal
Incinerating hazardous substances is a highly complex procedure that requires extensive specialist knowledge – including precise details about molecules. The method used to treat PCB demonstrates this perfectly. This toxic material can be found, for example, in window putty, posing a potential risk for both human health and the environment. The trick here is to break the PCB molecule by incinerating it with oxygen (O2). During this process, the benzene rings are oxidised and destroyed by the oxygen. All that is left over is carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrochloric acid (HCI). The latter is completely removed from the flue gas in the HCI scrubber. The result: the PCB has been completely eliminated.
The PCB molecule with its benzene rings (C12H5Cl5). By incinerating it with pure oxygen, it is transformed into 12 CO2 + 5 HCl
Being one of the world’s leading recycling, service and water businesses with over 30,000 employees, everything we do revolves around sustainability. We ensure that the environment is protected and that natural resources are conserved in over 30 countries across four continents.
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